Reflections from Seminary Students

It is the day after Christmas. If you are anything like me this day feels as empty as boxes and tumbleweeds of wrapping paper surrounding a still nicely decorated, but significantly dry conifer. We have waited, longed for, and anticipated Christmas Day–the 25th of December. Anticipated the Advent of Christ, the coming of Emmanuel. But, now on the the 26th, Advent and our waiting has come and gone. It seems that Jesus too has come and gone. Now what?

These are the O Antiphons. Continuing our theme of asking who we are waiting for, each of these titles refers to Isaiah’s prophecies of the one to come. You’ll note the bolded letters above in the Latin titles, which spell out “ero cras,” which means, “Tomorrow, I will come.”

Much of advent is about waiting. But what are we waiting for and what were people waiting for before the first Christmas?Are we only waiting for that day to finally come when we can unwrap the presents under the tree celebrate the birth of God in human flesh. The day when God becomes with us. Emmanuel, God is with us. What does this mean that God is with us? What are the implications of God living among us? How should Christmas change our lives?

*Note: This was originally posted on Dr. Leong’s personal blog at davidleong.info. Watch for more guest posts from SPS Faculty and students, soon!

Henry Suzzallo, after whom the famous UW library is named, said that universities should be “cathedrals of learning.” Anyone who has visited the graduate reading room (I studied–and napped–there on occasion as an undergrad) should note the silent sanctity of knowledge in that place. The cathedral-college metaphor also evokes the distinctly theological origins of most institutions of higher education in the U.S., from the Ivy League on down.

But the more I become solidly entrenched in the institution of academia, particularly theological academia, as a Christian and aspiring scholar, the more I sense a deep-seated skepticism growing within me about the endeavors of the Christian academy. I returned from AAR about a week ago, and while I am still processing some of the stimulating conversations and ideas that were presented there, I am also struck (perpetually, it seems) with the glaring discontinuity between the academy and the “real world.” » Read the rest of this entry «